Thursday Afternoon Commute - Guardian Angel

The complete history of road lanes and how cyclists got kicked out of them. Long, but good. "The UVC therefore gave bicyclists the superficial appearance of being drivers, but without the right to use travel lanes like drivers. Although a travel lane is intended for a single line of vehicles, bicyclists were told that they could not use travel lanes like real drivers. Bicyclists were told they had to ride at the right edge and if they strayed from the edge, they were doing so at their own peril. Bicyclists were now officially second-class road users."

"Crashing without a helmet exposes the head to accelerations and forces – or loads - up to 9.5 times greater than with a helmet and so greatly increases the risk of head, skull and brain injury, according to a detailed biomechanical study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention."

Because only rich people live and work in Manhattan and Brooklyn and only poor people live in the other bouroughs, bikeshare is part of the dividing of people into haves and have nots leading to a dystopic future from out of a sci-fi novel. Or something.

The TNR article makes a very valid point. One can be a strong supporter of bikesharing programs while pointing out that its value so far has been disproportionately skewed towards affluent neighborhoods, in both NYC and DC. Of course, part of this is a demand issue, but with bikeshare programs, new supply can create demand where none existed before.

If poor people don't want to ride however, that's not bike share's fault. I think its incumbent on those who accuse bike share programs of discriminating against the poor to assist the program in improving access AND demand. If there is not the demand, then the stations will be pulled and moved to areas where there is demand.

Right now in DC, there are plenty of areas with demand greater than supply.

It was actually my first time on the MBT, and -- it's nice! I won't have much reason to use it until it comes closer to Union Station (I'm usually south of there and it starts at M) but if I happen by I'll get on just because I can.

What will really make a difference to the billions of people who aren't me is when it lives up to its billing as a complete 9-mile route to Silver Spring.